


Spirits and Assumptions

by SamCyberCat



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-21 03:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11349345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamCyberCat/pseuds/SamCyberCat
Summary: The problem that Haru has with Rei is that Rei keeps challenging his assumptions and his beliefs, seemingly by just existing. But that has Haru intrigued and maybe they can go from there...





	Spirits and Assumptions

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Haru's birthday. This was intended to be much shorter than it ended up being, but both characters kept having more to say.

Haru was difficult with Rei at first. He wouldn't admit that he was, but inside he knew that this was the case. Fortunately it didn't last, because time and time again Rei would prove to him that his initial assumptions about him were wrong.

Not long after Rei had joined the swim club, there was one time when they'd all come over to Haru's house. Though more accurately, the house belonged to Haru's late grandmother and Haru was lucky to be living there under her blessing.

It was a warm day, so they'd gone through to the garden. Makoto was the first to say thanks at his grandmother's shrine, as he had done many times since they were both young. Nagisa eagerly followed, then Gou and then...

Haru watched Rei. He could tell even without Rei saying so that he wasn't a spiritual person. He was a man of science and logic. He probably scorned Haru's belief that the spirit of his grandmother was watching over them and deserved praise. Yet even so, he said his thanks at the shrine just like everyone else. Haru appreciated that, even if he felt Rei was only doing so to avoid causing a scene amongst all of the others. It was probably easier just to follow the crowd.

***

The first time that Rei came over without the others, Haru was made to admit that he was wrong.

Apparently Haru had left some homework that was due for tomorrow in his locker at the swim club and Makoto had asked Rei to bring it over. Rei didn't elaborate on why Makoto had asked him to do this instead of bringing it himself, but if Haru knew Makoto (and he did) it was probably because he could tell that Haru was still testy about Rei and wanted to give them a chance to talk without the others around.

Haru invited Rei in and then went through to the garden, not indicating if Rei should follow him or not. But Rei did follow. And the first thing he did was give thanks at Haru's grandmother's shrine.

“Thank you for watching over this house.”

So Haru was wrong. And that fact quietly irritated him. He told himself that it was only because he'd led Rei through to the garden though and without that prompting, Rei wouldn't have bothered. Haru's eyes on his back probably made a difference as well.

***

It had now been a few months since Rei had joined the swim club. He was accepted as one of their own, even by Haru.

Rei came to Haru's house one evening, saying that he needed somewhere quiet to study, because his brother was practising for a speech he had at work and Rei couldn't focus with all the noise. Haru invited him in, even if he felt that it was slightly annoying that Rei would pick him out of all of them to go to specifically because he wanted quiet. As if Haru's defining trait was that he was the quiet one.

It was already dark by the time that Rei arrived, so Haru hadn't been out in the garden, nor did he have any intention going there. Instead he went to the kitchen to get them both something to drink.

But by the time he came back, Rei wasn't in the living room any more. The door through to the garden had been left open and when Haru went to check, he found Rei crouched in front of the shrine.

“Thank you for watching over this house. And for watching over Haruka-senpai, too.”

Once again, Haru had been wrong about Rei. He was also slightly flattered at the concern, though he wouldn't admit that.

***

Two years went by and they fell into routine. Haru began to know what to expect from Rei and that knowledge came from getting to know him as person, not from initial assumptions about him.

But all things must come to an end, as hard as that had been for Haru to accept. In the third year of their friendship, Haru would be leaving for Tokyo with Makoto. So tonight would be the last time that all of them would be in this house together for a while.

“We'll come back for the holidays,” Makoto told the others, “You can't get rid of us that easily.”

“You'll bring us back presents, right? Everything in Tokyo is much cooler than here,” Nagisa replied.

“And maybe once you're both settled we can come visit you too,” added Gou.

They carried on chatting like this for a while. But Haru noticed that Rei wasn't with them. He'd been noticing Rei a lot more lately, so the absence of him stuck out. When Haru wandered off from the others, he wasn't surprised to find Rei in the garden. It sounded as if he was in the middle of a much longer request than usual.

“-they'll come back soon, but for a while they won't be here. I'm sorry that you'll be alone, but now more than ever they'll need you to look after them. It's a big step for both of them, especially Haruka-”

“...Grandmother already knows all of this,” Haru cut in, “But thanks for telling her all the same.”

“Ahh! Haruka-senpai, I'm sorry!” gasped Rei. He scrambled up to his feet and dusted himself off.

“It's fine,” assured Haru. Then after a slight pause, he added, “...Actually, I liked it when you just called me Haruka, without the senpai. You should keep doing that.”

He knew damn well that Rei had only done so because Haru had cut him off, but he also knew that Rei wouldn't refuse him when asked.

“V-very well... Haruka.”

Hearing Rei say his name like that on purpose made Haru feel... something that he hadn't felt before. But he wasn't ready to deal with it tonight, so he let it be for now.

***

They always said that for one holiday they'd let the others come to stay with them in Tokyo. But without fail, Haru and Makoto would be the ones who came back to Iwatobi every time. They'd adjusted to their new lives, Makoto faster than Haru, but both of their hearts still lay in the small town they'd come from. The others never questioned it, even if at times Nagisa would pretend he was in a huff about not being able to go to Tokyo with them. So Haru could only assume that they knew how important coming back to Iwatobi was to both of them.

One time, during a break in his second year at university, Haru gave Rei a key.

“I'm asking a lot of you, but I'd like someone to come visit grandmother sometimes while I'm not around,” he said.

“Are you sure you want me to do this?” Rei asked, “Of course I'll do it, but wouldn't Gou or Nagisa be more suitable?”

Haru smirked; “...You don't believe in spirits, do you?”

Now was the time, after roughly four years, to find out the answer to the assumption he'd made about Rei upon meeting him.

“I believe in respecting Haruka's beliefs. And I also believe that you have been kept safe and well while you've been in Tokyo,” Rei replied, without missing a beat.

Haru's smirk turned into a frown.

“That isn't an answer,” he insisted.

“It is. It just isn't the answer that you wanted,” said Rei. He looked smug, which was an annoyingly attractive expression on him.

“...Grandmother will tell me if you don't come visit her,” Haru concluded. Then he turned and left before Rei could make another retort, leaving him with just the key to the house and his request.

***

Rei had visited regularly and the worst part was that Haru didn't even need to ask his grandmother to tell that. He could see for himself the next time he came back home. There wasn't a speck of dust anywhere, the garden was well-kept and the kitchen was stocked with food. Haru hadn't asked Rei to do anything like this, but he'd done it all the same.

“Did she tell you that I sometimes skipped a day?” Rei asked, when he'd come to visit Haru the next day, “If studying became too strenuous or I'd arranged to go out swimming with Nagisa. I always apologised the next day though.”

Of course Rei himself was well into his first year at university now. Though to everyone's surprise (and Haru's good fortune, given his request), Rei had opted to study from home. Haru could forgive him taking time off from his promise for both of the reasons that he'd mentioned.

“Grandmother told me that you did a good job. She is pleased with you. And so am I,” he said.

“I'm glad,” Rei replied.

For a while, that was that. But Haru didn't want that to be that. He felt that they weren't finished somehow. So he made an excuse to keep talking, even though it wasn't like him.

“Actually, you've been rather rude,” Haru stated, after Rei turned away to... to dust the top of the kotatsu. As if he owned the place. Just because he'd been doing this for a while now.

“Oh?” Rei hummed, without turning back.

“In all this time you've never invited me to your house,” Haru pointed out.

“Is there any need? We've all always come here and your grandmother's home is much nicer anyway,” said Rei, “I just live in a small apartment with my brother. It's not ideal for having people around.”

“So rude,” Haru repeated.

Rei turned back to him; “...Very well, Haruka. Would you like to come over to my apartment?”

“Yes. I'll come over this evening,” answered Haru. He didn't bother checking if such an abrupt time was good for Rei.

“All right, I'll come pick you up at six,” Rei said, seeming slightly amused by the prospect.

***

As soon as they got through the door, Haru could tell that Rei lived here, but also that he wasn't the only person who lived here. For the most part, the rooms were tidied to Rei's standard, but there were also traces of someone who cared less about presentation going around after Rei and leaving things out of place. Haru assumed that Rei was in a constant battle with his older brother to keep the apartment in shape and that was one assumption he doubted he was wrong about. The way Rei pulled his brother's bedroom door closed before Haru walked past it was telling.

“I'm afraid we don't have a shrine for you to give thanks at,” Rei joked, as they headed through to the tiny living room.

This was a test. Would Haru respect Rei's beliefs (or lack there of) as Rei had respected his? Haru wasn't going to fail that test. He could prove Rei's assumptions about him wrong just as much as Rei had done with Haru's assumptions about him.

“Then in that case I'll just have to give thanks to you, for looking after my grandmother's home and for inviting me here,” Haru said, knowing full well that he invited himself.

“That's very kind of you. As you can probably tell, this apartment wouldn't be the best place for spirits to watch over me anyway. I doubt that any of them would want to stay here, even if you'd be forgiven for believing the pipes in the walls are angry spirits during the winter. They get so loud,” replied Rei.

Haru took a step forward, standing right in front of Rei. He was too far within Rei's personal space bubble and he knew it. He folded his arms.

“Well, if you don't have a spirit watching over you, then I'll have to do it instead,” he said.

“That's... v-very kind of you,” Rei stammered, “But there's no need. You'll be going back to Tokyo in a few weeks.”

“I can watch over you from Tokyo. We can do video calls,” pressed Haru. He was admitting that he wasn't as clueless about social media as he pretended to be and Rei had better appreciate that.

“Video calls don't seem very spiritual,” Rei teased.

“You don't get to decide that,” Haru said.

“Okay, okay, let's... do that. I'd love to talk with you more often anyway. I've... missed you. I m-mean, well, we all have... but I th-think about you a lo- ...Actually, never mind. Just... I'd like that,” Rei mumbled.

Haru nodded. Because Rei was only stating the obvious in his eyes.

“I'd like that too, so it's decided. I'll watch over you and call you and you'll look after grandmother while I'm away,” said Haru.

“...You know, this sounds like you're getting an awful lot from this agreement,” Rei pointed out.

“But you get to talk to me,” Haru countered.

“Can't argue with that. I do like talking with you,” Rei chuckled, “You're the only Haruka that I know who's quite like you.”

“I'll take that as a compliment,” replied Haru, though the pout was evident.

“Good, because it was meant as one,” Rei assured him. Then he nodded, “Sounds like we've got that settled then. I'll go make us some tea. Wait here for a moment. I shouldn't be long.”

He turned and walked into the kitchen, with Haru watching him go. Haru knew that he'd initiated a lot when it came to Rei, but if he kept going then Rei would become complacent. And Haru enjoyed the unpredictability of Rei too much to want that to happen. He could tell Rei to kiss him and Rei probably would. But that wouldn't be any fun. Haru... wanted Rei to make the first move, if anything was going to become of them. So for now he'd just have to wait.

***

Once he'd finished his university course in Tokyo, Haru came back to Iwatobi. But Makoto had stayed, which surprised everyone except for Haru. During the time that they'd been there, Makoto's future career prospects had become evident. When he'd received an offer for a teaching job in Tokyo, Haru had been the one to encourage him to accept it. Because it wasn't as if the two of them would never see each other again. Their friendship would endure, as it always had done. And deep down both of them knew that it was perhaps time to accept that they would grow more apart than they could do together from now on.

For Haru, his heart had never truly left Iwatobi. He wasn't afraid of change any more, but if he wanted that change to happen while he was in the town he'd grown up in, then he didn't think that was a bad choice either.

So he'd come home alone for the first time, because Makoto needed to move into his new apartment right away if he didn't want to lose it. Makoto had promised he'd join Haru soon enough, because he wanted to see the others as well, but for now it was just Haru.

“I've been talking to your grandmother. She says that she's worried you won't keep her home as clean as I have.”

“You've not been talking to her,” Haru gasped, “Don't just make up what my grandmother says.”

“Will you keep it clean then?” checked Rei.

“...Can't you keep doing it?” Haru asked.

“Is there any need now that you're back?” said Rei, “You don't want me hanging around this place while you're here.”

“Maybe I do,” Haru insisted.

“All right then. I'll keep cleaning your house and your garden. Other people get paid money for doing those tasks though, just so you know,” Rei said.

“You get paid in my gratitude. Isn't that enough?” Haru dismissed.

Rei laughed; “You drive a hard bargain, Haruka. But very well, I'll keep cleaning your house as long as you keep showing me gratitude for doing so.”

“Don't I always?” said Haru.

“You've been away for the last few years, though I suppose you have kept good on your promise about the video calls. And you do usually thank me over those, in your own way, so I guess you have,” Rei answered, “...Thinking about it that way, we won't have any need for those calls any more, will we? That's kind of a shame. They'd become part of my daily routine and I'll miss them.”

“We can still talk when you come over to clean,” Haru assured.

Though he understood what Rei meant. They were both people who liked routine to a fault. Spontaneity came in bursts, but they both liked having routine to fall back on when they needed it. Now that Haru had come home, both of their routines would be shaken until they found a new one to settle into.

Hopefully together...

While Haru was thinking this, Rei walked away and started to... do the cleaning they'd just been talking about. He was unbelievable. Haru frowned at his back, but it didn't seem to deter Rei in the slightest.

“I'm not intimidated by you any more,” Rei hummed, as he dusted one of the shelves, delicately lifting off each item of furniture to dust beneath it as he did.

“Were you to begin with?” asked Haru.

“A little bit. But only because you made yourself intimidating. Once I saw past that, I realised what you were truly like,” said Rei.

“And what am I truly like?” demanded Haru.

Rei did turn back to look at him now. His expression was amused, but in a soft way. It was a good expression. Haru liked it.

“You think that you're right about everything. I mean, most people do, but you truly believe it with the kind of conviction that I've never seen before. As if you stumbled across the meaning of life early and now you're just waiting for everyone else to figure it out,” Rei answered.

“That makes me sound bad,” argued Haru, even if he didn't fully disagree with it, “But anyway, what does that have to do with us? Surely if you figured that much out about me, then it'd make you want to keep away from me.”

Rei shook his head; “I never said that it made you a bad person. And what it has to do with us is that I know... that you like me. I can see it in you. When you like me it's with the same certainty that you regard everything else in your life and I find that reassuring. You didn't like me at first, I know that, but I feel that these days you like me about twelve times more than you disliked me at the start.”

“Twelve? That's a very specific number,” Haru mused, “All right, so perhaps I did find you mildly irritating at the start. So if I now like you twelve times more than mild irritation, where does that put you on the scale of how much I like you?”

There was a long pause in which both of them regarded the other. Haru realised that he had no idea what Rei was going to say, even though Rei had labelled him as apparently being a know-it-all. In all this time, Rei had remained unpredictable to him.

Eventually, Rei spoke.

“...You want me to kiss you, I know that much,” he said, “How much further your feelings go than that, I don't know. But I know that you've wanted that since I invited you to my apartment that day.”

Was Rei some kind of psychic? Or was Haru just that easy to read? No matter which the answer was, Haru glared him, completely affronted.

“So then why didn't you kiss me, if you already knew?” he said.

“Because it wouldn't have been proper back then,” Rei chuckled, “Besides, my brother was in his room and I doubt that you'd appreciate twenty questions from him if he'd seen that. We're not seeing each other, so it wouldn't have been right for me to kiss you, no matter how much you might have wanted me to.”

“And why aren't we seeing each other?” Haru continued. He had to know. If Rei had all the answers.

“Because neither of us have asked. And I knew that it would come down to me, because you'd be disappointed if you'd had to initiate it. Could you believe that made me nervous?” Rei replied. There was another chuckle, but this one showed off a lot of those nerves he'd just mentioned.

“...Okay,” Haru replied.

Then he turned and walked off into the kitchen. After a moment, the telltale creak of the floor told him that Rei had followed.

“Just okay?” Rei checked.

“Well, yes,” said Haru, as he put the kettle on, “You clearly want this to be a big romantic moment, so if we bumble through it right now, then it'll be disappointing for you as well.”

“I never said that,” countered Rei.

“You're Rei Ryuugazaki. You like things that are beautiful and over the top,” Haru pointed out, “And that isn't an assumption. That comes from knowing you since high school.”

“I like you and you're not over the top!” Rei snapped. But then he reined it back in and said in a quieter voice, “...You are beautiful though.”

“You're wrong. I am over the top. If I wasn't, then I'd have just asked you out ages ago and been done with it, instead of building up to... whatever this is,” said Haru. He took two cups out as he waited for the kettle to boil.

“So this is just it then? We go back to making blunt comments about each other, but never making any progress, because nothing we can do will ever feel big enough for the other?” said Rei.

“Is there a problem with that?” growled Haru. The kettle clicked as it boiled over, but somehow he suddenly didn't feel like making tea for either of them.

“...Yes. Actually, there is.”

Haru turned to look at Rei, but Rei was already leaving. He could have called after him. He should have called after him. But somehow his mouth fell dry as he watched Rei walk out of the door.

***

Had his grandmother watched over Rei? It felt like she should have done. She must have liked Rei. He stayed at the house and kept it clean and tidy, even though Haru didn't ask him to clean it. At least not at first. In a way, he'd looked after Haru as well, even if Haru didn't see that until it was too late...

Perhaps Haru did feel that he was right about everything. Which made it hit all the harder when it turned out that he was wrong.

The others could tell that something had happened between Haru and Rei as well, though neither of them had said as such out of respect for each other. Yesterday, Nagisa had come over, sat himself down and stared at Haru for five whole minutes, before saying that Haru had to go talk it through with Rei. Haru had acted aloof about it, but he knew that Nagisa was right.

Even so, he didn't feel able to face Rei today. So he stayed at home, as he so often did when he was avoiding something. But this time he didn't hole himself up in the bathroom. Instead he went out to the garden to talk to his grandmother. Because the garden... had been kept so nicely. It made Haru want to be there.

When the door opened and Rei came through to join him, he wasn't surprised.

“...Maybe I wanted to talk to her as well,” Rei said, as he crouched down next to Haru in front of the shrine.

“You don't believe in her,” Haru muttered, “And don't say that you believe I believe. That doesn't count.”

“Haruka, you're the one who assumes that I don't believe. Did I ever give you a direct answer?” Rei replied.

Haru sighed; “Very well, I'll ask you again, do you believe in spirits? Do you believe in my grandmother?”

They looked across at each other. Rei's eyes were open and honest. Whatever he said next, Haru knew that it would be the truth. Not that it ever wasn't, but this time Haru had faith that he'd get a proper answer.

“...I don't believe in spirits, but I do believe in your grandmother,” he said.

No... that wasn't right!

“If you don't believe in spirits then how could you know her?” Haru insisted, “You didn't meet her before she passed away. So if you don't think that her spirit is here, then you can't ever know her.”

“But I know her through you...” Rei answered, “The way you talk about her, the way you act, your mannerisms... it's clear that she's left a strong impression on you. As long as I know you, I feel like I've known her as well. And I think it's safe to say that I know you.”

Haru let go of the breath he'd been holding, though he wasn't sure if he was sighing in relief or irritation.

“...You do know me,” he agreed.

“Then... can you forgive me for the other day?” Rei asked.

“Only if you can forgive me. We were both out of order,” said Haru.

“We usually are,” Rei said.

The air had been cleared between them. At least for the most part. They sat together in front of the shrine, letting the silence take hold of him in a good way. For now, everything that needed to be said had been said.

***

“We just sort of hit it off, you know how it is,” Makoto said, hiding his nerves with an awkward laugh, “He's living in Tokyo as well now. I had no idea until we bumped into each other one day and... well, I won't bore you guys with the rest.”

“Come on, you have to tell us now! If you don't, then I'll just get it out of Sousuke anyway,” Gou warned him.

“Ah, you're all so cruel. Can't a guy have some secrecy?” replied Makoto.

“Secrets are boring! I wanna hear all about Mako-chan's romantic date with his first boyfriend,” Nagisa pressed.

“How do you know he's my first one? Haruuu... help me out here,” Makoto whined.

“You shouldn't have brought it up if you can't deal with the consequences,” dismissed Haru, who was enjoying this just as much as the rest of them.

“So mean... If this was the other way around, then I'd definitely defend you,” huffed Makoto.

“Thank you for that then,” concluded Haru.

Makoto buried his head in his hands, not that it stopped the barrage of questions from Nagisa and Gou. They'd find out the details one way or the other and Haru knew it.

“Are you all right?”

The question came from Rei of all people. He spoke it in a quiet tone and it took Haru by surprise. He looked up at him and nodded.

“Of course. Why wouldn't I be?” Haru replied.

“Well, because you and Makoto...” Rei trailed off.

“We've known each other for a long time. I could tell there was an attraction there, maybe even before he could,” Haru answered.

“Did they know each other that well?” asked Rei.

“Not at the start. But you don't need to know someone well to be attracted to them,” said Haru.

“You just need the spark,” Rei agreed, “And it builds from there.”

“Did we build from there?” said Haru.

“...I haven't kissed you yet,” Rei replied.

Haru shook his head; “No, you haven't.”

***

Perhaps the kiss had become too big of a deal. It might never happen now and that thought made Haru feel even worse than the prospect of it happening and being half-hearted. It no longer mattered whether it would be good enough. Anything would be good enough, as long as it was something.

...You don't believe that though, do you?

Rei's eyes said that every time Haru looked at him when they were both thinking about the kiss. And that was one assumption that he was right about. There was part of Haru that wanted it to be a big deal. Even if another part of him wished that they could just get on with it, like Makoto and Sousuke apparently had.

So the weeks turned into months, the seasons went by, the house and the garden were cared for by Rei, the cooking was undisputedly handled by Haru... then just like they wanted, Haru and Rei fell into a routine. But they never kissed. Perhaps that would be too far out of the routine.

“My brother's started advertising for a new room mate,” Rei said one day, as the two of them sat keeping warm under the kotatsu, “I've had to warn Nagisa not to take him up on it as a joke. He's going to need serious applicants only.”

“Nagisa can be serious,” Haru replied, although he doubted that Nagisa was at all being serious about moving in with Rei's brother and most likely just wanted to annoy both of the Ryuugazaki siblings by suggesting he would do; “...So are you moving out?”

“If my brother's looking for a new room mate, then I guess I am,” answered Rei.

He can't have done that without getting Rei's consent though. There was definitely more to this story than Rei was letting on.

“And where will you go?” said Haru.

“I don't know yet,” Rei admitted.

“You do know. You'll come here,” Haru told him.

“Then why did you ask?” hummed Rei.

“Because... I wanted to hear it from you, but you're stubborn,” Haru claimed. He ignored Rei's amused snort at the prospect of Haru of all people calling someone stubborn and continued, “Grandmother would never see you out on the streets and neither will I.”

“Then I thank you both. Truly, I do,” said Rei. He sounded touched, even though Haru suspected that he knew the conversation would go this way. Even so, hearing that tone from Rei felt good.

“You've taken care of us for so long now. It's only fair that we take care of you as well,” Haru insisted.

“At this point, I'd say we take care of each other,” Rei replied, “Sometimes I wonder how we ended up this way, you know.”

“You made me curious and you've kept me curious all this time,” answered Haru, “I'm still curious about Rei.”

Rei paused, even if Haru's response wasn't an unfamiliar one. The silence went on just long enough to unsettle Haru before he replied.

“...So if I stopped making you curious, would you lose interest in me?”

As if it was that easy.

“I could never lose interest in you,” promised Haru.

Usually he'd get a witty retort from Rei and then they'd go back to how they always were. That was what Haru was waiting for. But when it didn't happen, it only served to make Haru more nervous still. He stared at Rei, who wasn't looking at him now so much as looking through him. Something was going on in that head of his and Haru couldn't read it.

Which was when... it finally happened. After all the build up and waiting and doubt. Rei lent down and kissed Haru. It lasted only a moment. But it had been done. That was the trump card. If Rei took away the mystery of the kiss then...

...then would Haru still be curious about him? That was what Rei was asking.

Well, Haru now had his answer. He put his arms around Rei as he started to pull back, pressing forward again and carrying on. He didn't want it to end. Just like he didn't want them to end. The kiss was only the first step. They needed to take it so they could move on. It would not be the end.

Haru wasn't sure how long it was until he let Rei go, but when they pulled away, Rei was the one left looking surprised. Sometimes Haru could win their discussions as well.

***

Neither of them were happy about the boxes stacked up in every room in the house. They both liked order and until the contents of the boxes found a home, they were firmly rooted in disorder. But it was all part of the process. Soon enough Rei would be settled here and they'd find a place for all of his belongings to go. This was now Rei's home just as much as it was Haru's and his grandmother's. Rei belonged here.

Yet life went on and there wasn't always time to deal with boxes. It wasn't that either of them were putting it off, but they valued taking time for other things in life. Like saying thanks to Haru's grandmother...

Rei didn't believe in her spirit and there were still times when that upset Haru slightly, but he understood it now. When Rei was giving thanks, it was for everything that she'd done for them – helping Haru grow up, giving them a home to live in and, in a roundabout way, helping them have a better understanding of each other. There was a lot to give thanks for, even without the spirits.

Haru never gave thanks to her spirit on Rei's behalf though, because that wouldn't be fair. He had to respect Rei as Rei respected him. And he did. A little bit more every day.

Once they'd finished, they both got to their feet. Rei took Haru's hand and smiled down at him.

“We could get back to unpacking now, but I'd rather go visit the others,” he said.

“Then let's do that,” Haru replied.

With that decision made, he reached up to kiss Rei. Because now that the first kiss was over, there was no reason that Haru wouldn't initiate many more. In that part of their lives, the spontaneity of who would kiss who next was what kept them going. It was part of the mystery. And this time, the answer was Haru.

But two seconds later, the answer was Rei, who kissed Haru fondly on the cheek. ...Then Haru kissed him again. Then Rei kissed him twice, because he had to be difficult. They should probably get a move on, but the others would understand. Haru and Rei had each made the assumption that they would have the last word in this debate. And that was one assumption that neither one of them truly wanted to be proven right or wrong about.


End file.
